Water-tank



(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. X. FISGHER.

WATER TANK.

No.463,791. PatentedNov. 24,1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. X. FISCHER.

WATER TANK.

No. 463,791. Patented Nov. 24, 1891.

FIG 11 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK X. FISCHER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

WATER-TAN K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,791, dated November24, 1891.

Application filed May 4, 1891. Serial No. 391,567. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK X. FISCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, Alameda county, State of California, have inventedan Improvement in WVater- Tanks; and I hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of liquidcontaining tanks.

It consists in a channel of any suitable form and construction formedwith or secured to the upper portion of the tank, said channel beingadapted to receive and hold liquid, which by absorption passes into thepores of the wood and keeps it moist, thereby preventing shrinkage.

It also consists in providing exits for said channel when it is suppliedfrom the tank service-pipe, whereby the incoming water will first filland keep filled said channel, and the surplus will pass into the tank;and it also consists in directing the water from the channel upon theinner su'rfaceof the tank-wall to keep it moist.

The object of my invention is to provide for keeping the joints ofliquid-tanks tight under all circumstances. ater-tanks are generallymade of staves bound together by hoops. \Vhen the tank is full, the woodswells and the joints become tight; but when the staves become dry, asthey do when the water in the tank is low, the wood shrinks and thejoints open. The tank will then leak. This shrinkage is of permanentdisadvantage to the tank and requires frequent attention and drivingdown of the hoops. -This difficulty is especially noticeable in climateswhere there is a long season of drought and calms, at tended especiallyin the interior by heat.

- The water in the tanks gets low and the whole upper portion shrinksand permanently injures the tank. There being but little wind to operatethe mill, it is impossible to keep the tank full; but by keeping waterin the channel it will soak into the wood andkeep it moist. There isgenerally enough wind to raise some water frequently. Now by introducing this water to the tank through the intervention of a suitablechannel at the upper.

portion, the water will not only soak into the wood, but the surplus canbe directed downwardly upon the inner surface of the tankwall, therebykeeping it wet and preventing shrinkage. Therefore, whether the tank befull or not, its jpints will always be tight, and the life of the tankwill be considerably extended. In making this channel I do not confinemyself to one form only, as my invention contemplates the use of anysuitable means to contain the liquid necessary to keep the wood wet. Ihave accordingly herein illustrated and described several differentforms of my invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof myinv'ention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion ofone stave of a tank, showing a channel made edgewise through the widthof the stave. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the upper portion of onestave, showing in addition to the channel an exit therefrom. Fig. 3 is avertical section of the upper portion of a tank, showing the channeltherein and a hopper for keeping it supplied with liquid. 4 is a similarview of the same, showing exits therefrom into the tank and asupply-pipe adapted to feed the water to the channel. Fig.5 is a sectionshowing a channel formed by a depressed cover with central exit to thetank. Fig. 6 is a section showing the improvement as in the tops of thestaves with inwardly-opening depressed portions forming exits. Fig.7 isa similar view showing the channel formed by a wide hoop or flange onthe outside. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing it formed by twoupwardlyextending flanges. Fig. 9 is a similar view showing it formed byan inside flange. Fig. 10 is a similar view showing it in the top, the

inner flange being-lower than the outer flange to provide for theoverflow and the channel having small exits and supplied by a pipethrough a hopper. Fig. ll is a similar View showing it as a ring-pipesupported inside the tank and having exit-holes directed toward thetank-wall, said pipe being supplied by a hopper, the inner wall of whichis lower than the outer to provide for the overflow into the tank.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is one of the staves of a tank. In its upperportion is made through its width edgewise the channel a. All the stavesare to be correspondingly constructed. When they are put together toform a tank, as shown in Fig. 3, the openings in each join and form asingle continuous channel. This is to be supplied with liquid, and thisliquid will soak down into the pores of the wood and so keep the staveswet and prevent shrinkage. This is the main feature of myinvention-namely, a liquid-containing channel of any form in orconnected with the tank and adapted to keep it moist. One way to keepthis channel supplied with liquid is to insert a hopper B, as shown inFig. 3, of sufficient. height and capacity to keep up its supplyconveniently long. Another way is to supply it from the same pipe whichsupplies the tank, and when this is done the channel must have an exitto allow the water, in addition to serving its function of keeping saidchannel full,.to passinto the tank. Accordingly in Fig. 2 I have shownan exit a, from which the water can escape from the channel into thetank, and I have shown in Fig. at the channel supplied by the tankservice-pipe C through a small hopper c. In this form,whenever themillpu mps, the water must pass into and keep the channel full, thesurplus flowing over into the tank and wetting the inner wall thereof.

In Fig. 5 the tank has a depressed cover a with raised central exit a.The liquid stands on this cover and flows over into the tank. Around theedges of the cover it soaks into the staves and keeps them moist.

In Fig. 6 a simple channel in the top of each stave forms thereceptacle, and this may have the depressed inner portions forming theexits a into the tank.

In Fig. 7 a simple form is shown, in which the channel is formed bybeveling the outer surfaces of the tops of the staves and opposing thesebevels with a wide hoop a.

In Fig. 8 two flanges a are shown.

In Fig. 9 a single inner flange a is shown, secured to the tank in anysuitable manner, and lower than the top to provide for an inwarddischarge. In this figure I also show an opening controlled by a plug afor the purpose of allowing the channel to be cleaned out whennecessary. This may be placed in any of the other forms.

Fig. 10 shows a channel in the tank'top with a lower inner wall toprovide for overflow. This channel is supplied from the tankservice-pipe through a hopper E, and small exits a lead from its lowerportion into the tank, so that the water will trickle down the innersurface of the tank-wall. This sprinkling is further exemplified in Fig.11, in which the chamber is an encircling pipe F within the tank,supported by brackets G. It has small exits f, adapted to sprinkle theinner surface of the tank-Wall, and it is supplied from the tankservice-pipe by a hopper II, having a short inner wallforovertlowinginto the tank.

Having thus described my invention, whatl claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A tank for liquids, having a channel at its upper portion to receivea body of liquid and exits from said channel communicating with theinterior of the tank and adapted to discharge the surplus liquid uponthe inner surface of the tank-wall to keep it moist, substantially asherein described.

2. A tank for liquids, having at its upper portion a channel providedwith aninletleading to the exterior and an outlet adapted to dischargethe surplus liquid upon the inner surface of the tank-wall, and meansconnecting with the inlet to the channel for supplying liquid thereto,substantially as herein described.

3. A tank for liquids, composed of separate staves bound together, eachstave having at its upper portion an opening made through its widthedgewise, said openings forming when the staves are fitted together achannel adapted to receive and hold liquid to keep the staves wet, andexits from said channel into the tank, said exits leading from the upperinner portion thereof, whereby the surplus liquid will overflow into thetank, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK X. FISCHER.

lVit-nesses: I

S. II. NoUnsE, .T. A. BAYLESS.

